Shelving or the like



June 22, 1954 SPARRmG 2,681,786

SHELVING OR THE LIKE Filed Dec. 2, 1949 hrenfn- 1 513-52.) \F OQrr/I MW M- Patented June 22, 1954 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHELVING OR THE LIKE Birger Sparring, Stockholm, Sweden Application December 2, 1949, Serial No. 130,651

r 1 This invention relates broadly to supports, and more particularly to a supporting bracket for shelving and of the kind comprising a sheet-metal supporting member of channel-shaped cross-section adapted to be secured to a supporting surface and provided with a plurality of openings spaced vertically of said supporting member in the web thereof, and a metal bracket arm of channel shaped cross-section, each of the side walls of the bracket arm having projections thereon at or near the top and bottom and lying in the plane of the side walls, said projections being adapted to engage said spaced openings.

The invention also relates to shelving especially for show cases or the like in which the shelves are supported on brackets of the kind above referred to and in which the shelves are vertically adjustable due to the supporting brackets therefor being insertable in sets of openings at various heights in said channel-shaped supporting member.

In a previously known construction of brackets of the kind referred to the bracket arm is inversely U-shaped in cross-section. In this respect this invention has for an object to facilitate the attachment of the shelving or show cases which is attained by an improvement consisting in making the bracket arm of open-top U-shaped cross-section so that an upwardly-presented channel is formed, the extreme end of said channel being closed by a transversely extending wall integral with the side wall of the bracket arm, said channel being thus adapted to detachably receive depending projections, lists or other mounting elements provided on said shelving or show cases.

It is also previously known to give the two pairs projections of the bracket arm the form of downturned hooks. This construction, however, involved the disadvantage that the bracket was too readily raised and unhooked by inadvertence. In this respect this invention has for its object to make provision for, overcoming this drawback, and for this purpose proposes a bracket for shelving of the kind stated in which the two uppermost projections are in the form of hooks, whilst the two other projections are in the form of plain lugs adapted to engage corresponding openings and to act as stops cooperating with the upper end of said openings to prevent raising and unhooking of said bracket arm, when the latter is in operative position.

In this last-mentioned embodiment it is true that, upon inadvertently actuating the bracket arm from below, the same is apt to be swung up- 1 Claim. (01. 248-243) ward with its extreme end which would seem to cause releasing of the lugs from their openings whereafter the bracket arm might be raised and unhooked. However, this effect will normally be prevented by the inner wall or edge of the show cases or shelves abutting against the supporting surface,

The invention will now be described. in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment of the invention, it being understood that the drawings do not define the limits of the invention, as changes in the construction and shape of the respective parts may be made without departing either from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view, partly broken away, showing the improved bracket in position on a supporting surface, a show case being supported partly on said bracket;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in cross-section, of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation view, partly broken away, partly in section along the line III-III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a similar view as that shown in Fig. 3, the show cases, however, being arranged in a diilerent way;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a bracket arm per se.

Referring to the drawings, a supporting member l, preferably cast or formed of sheet-metal, has substantially channel-shaped cross-section. The supporting member I, when so shaped, provides a web and has two side-portions. Both the web and side portions may be provided with holes for attaching the supporting member to a supporting surface by means of screws or the like, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The web of the supporting member I is conveniently formed with a series of pairs of vertically elongated openings 4 adapted for the reception of spaced hooks 1 formed on the uppermost portion of the innermost edges of the side walls of a channel-shaped bracket arm 5, the channel of which opens upwardly, and the extreme end of which is closed by a transversely extending wall l0. Said openings 4 are adapted also to receive a pair of plain lugs 28 formed on the lowermost portion of said innermost edges of the side Walls of the bracket arm 5 and vertically spaced from said hooks in such a way as to cause the upper edges of said lugs to be situated sufliciently close to the upper ends of their openings 4,

when the bracket arm is in operative position, as shown in Fig. 1, to prevent the arm 5 from being raised and unhooked. For this purpose, in the operative position of said bracket arm 5 and said supporting'member l, the distance between the bottom of each hook I and its lowermost end is to be greater than the clearing between the upper edge of the corresponding lug 28 and the adjacent upper end of the opening into which said lug projects. Thus, the lugs 28 will serve as stops cooperating with the upper ends, of said openings 4, when inserted therein. When mountmg the bracket arm 5 the hooks I are first introduced in their openings 4, and then the bracket arm is lowered until the bottoms of the hooks rest on the lower edges of said openings and the arm 5 is tilted downward causing the lugs 28 to properly engage their corresponding openings 4 in the supporting member I. The bracket arm 5 has preferably tapered side walls, as shown, and may be formed to be properly inclined when "in operative position, in order to expose the show cases in a convenient manner.

When the show cases 22 are made of wood or the like, they may be provided with depending projections 24 secured to the bottom of the'case by wood screws 23, said projections being preferably formed by chann l bar cut into suitable lengths. The projections are attached in such spaced interrelation as to correspond to the spacing of the brackets I. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 the projections 24 are of approximately the same lateral width as the channel 20 in the bracket arm 5. The projections 25 disposed near thefront end (at the right of Figs. 1 and 2) of the case 22 abut the inner surface of the transverse wall In of the bracket arm 5 when the case is supported on the brackets I, and thus the cases are securely retained in their operative position.

When the cases are made of sheet-metal (Fig. 4) the projections thereof engaging the channel 20 of the bracket arms I are preferably constituted by depending edge flanges 26 formed in the connection between the bottoms 25 and end walls 21 of the cases 22. The said edge flanges 26 are preferably made of a thickness such that two cases 22 can be placed with their end walls 2'! close to each other and with their edge flanges engaging into the channel 29 of one and the same bracket arm 5.

Instead of show cases, suitably manufactured and formed shelves, with or without an upturned list or flange at their front edge, may be disposed on the brackets described, and in a similar 4 manner as that disclosed. Instead of two spacedparallel rows of openings one single row of wider openings could be used, of course.

What I claim is:

A supporting bracket for shelving or the like comprising a sheet-metal supporting member of channel-shaped cross-section adapted to be secured to a supporting surface and having in its web two longitudinally extending spaced-parallel series of longitudinally elongated openings, a metal bracket arm of U-section forming an upwardly presented channel, said channel being closed at the extreme end of said arm, a downturned hook formed integrally with the uppermost portion of the innermost edge of each side wall of said bracket arm, a plain lug formed integrally with the lowermost portion of the innermost edge of each side wall of said bracket arm, said hooks and said lugs lying in the plane of said side walls and engaging corresponding ones of said openings in said web, said lugs being adapted to act as freely releasable stops cooperating with the upper end of said openings to prevent raising and unhooking of said bracket arm when in operative position, the distance between the bottom of each said hook and its lowermost end being greater than the clearance between the upper edge of the corresponding lug and the adjacent upper end of the opening into which said lug projects, when said bracket arm is'in operative position, said upwardly presented channel being adapted to detachably receive depending mounting elements of said shelving or the like and each said side wall at its innermost edge including an angular shaped reinforcement integral therewith, said reinforcements having a bight portion connecting their lower edges, and forming a channel shaped reinforcement, said plain lugs extending from said reinforcement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 256,672 Gerow Apr. 18, 1882 1,229,427 Erismann June 12, 1917 1,372,180 McFadden Mar. 22,1921 1,657,939 Rockwell Jan. 31, 1928 1,764,766 Vrhite June 17, 1930 1,983,470 Knape Dec. 4, 1934 2,103,484 Meyer Dec. 28', 1937 2,266,206 Jackson et al Dec. 16, 1941 2,622,834 Sparring Dec. 23, 1952 

